Dubai Design Week 2025 Expands Regional Design Dialogue with Focus on Community and Material Innovation

Dubai Design Week 2025 took place from November 4 to 9 at Dubai Design District (d3), drawing 150,000 visitors and featuring over 300 participants from more than 40 nations. Director Natasha Carella emphasized the importance of community involvement. The Urban Commissions winning entry, When Does a Threshold Become a Courtyard? by Some Kind of Practice from the UAE, examined Emirati courtyards. Nikken Sekkei and SOBOKUYA constructed Chatai, a wooden pavilion, while Spain's Izaskun Chinchilla Architects created the Flamenco Essence: Lavender Pavilion for Ithra in Saudi Arabia. The Abwab commission showcased Bahrain's Maraj with Stories of the Isle and the Inlet. Downtown Design spotlighted a USD 26 billion interior design market, with innovations like DateSkyn and DuneBlocks. In 2022, Dubai's creative sectors contributed AED 21.9 billion to the GDP.